Church Arson Suspect Arrested Other Oregon Churches That Were Burned Start Rebuilding, Healing

A man has been arrested in the most recent of a string of arson fires at Western Oregon churches, but there is no evidence linking him to the other blazes, police said.

James Allen Tarpley, 25, of Alsea was taken into custody Friday on arson and burglary charges involving a Sept. 3 fire at the Church of the Nazarene in Philomath.

Items purchased by Tarpley at a convenience store near the church were found at the crime scene, Philomath Police Chief Richard Raleigh said.

The fires inflicted $3 million damage to churches in Philomath and Oregon City and two each in Milwaukie and Silverton.

Federal, state and local fire officials met Friday and identified some people of interest in the crimes, but no links beyond city limits have been discovered, said Oregon State Police Lt. Bernie Giusto. It may be a case of copy-cat crimes, he said.

Giusto said the arson spree harkens to a similar string of school fires in Oregon about five years ago.

“This is a very complex crime when it comes to the reason why people do this,” Giusto said.”Emotional problems are often the catalyst.”

Young people, in particular, use fire to get attention, he said.

The churches in Philomath, Milwaukie and Silverton were destroyed, while a church in Oregon City and another in Silverton were relatively unharmed.

Meanwhile, church leaders say they’re moving on.

The Rev. Franklin Wilson, pastor of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Silverton, said the fire that destroyed his church has been both a nightmare and a blessing in disguise, since it has united church and community members.

He also has reminded his congregation that, in the end, a building is merely a building.

“They are, after all, finite things that tend to pass away, you know?” Wilson said. “Probably the quicker we learn that the healthier we are.

“But I’d rather learn it in ways other than arson, myself.”

Immanuel Lutheran is looking to rebuild. And other churches, such as the Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Milwaukie, already have started construction.

“At first we were very shocked, because the church is like your home,” said the Rev. Matthew Tate, pastor at the Orthodox Church, which was the first of the six churches to burn. “It’s a very intimate thing and to have it attacked that way is like having your soul attacked, in a sense.”

But he said that, while saddened, his parishioners were not vindictive.

The Rev. Rodney Page, executive director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, said his organization has received many calls from church leaders asking for information and advice.

“There is a growing concern and apprehension in the religious community,” Page said, adding that the fires affirm the unfortunate fact that churches cannot be the open, unlocked havens that they were in his childhood.

Page said his staff is preparing a list of tips for churches.

“Get good insurance,” Wilson from Immanuel Lutheran advised.

He and others also suggested taking an inventory of church contents, removing garbage and other combustibles from in and outside the building, lighting and patrolling the building and asking neighbors to keep an eye out.

The Rev. Robert Weidman, pastor at the Silverton Alliance Church, said church members patrolled the church the first few nights after two church fires in his town on Aug. 5.

“But we are not living in fear. We can’t do that,” said Weidman, who sat in his own church parking lot and helplessly watched the Immanuel Lutheran Church burn out of control.

“There’s a sadness that this happened,” Weidman said. “But these type of things will happen on this earth and it just reinforces our faith in God.”

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CHURCH ARSONS Oregon churches that have been set on fire since June 4: Church of the Nazarene, Philomath First Baptist Church, Oregon City Immanuel Lutheran Church, Silverton Bible Lighthouse Church, Silverton Korean Mission Evangelical Church, Milwaukie Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, Milwaukie